The Second ever
rec.motorcycles.harley
FAQ
Bill Burton
bburton@ccnet.com
3/7/95
Version: 1.0
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Subject 1. Purpose
This is the FAQ for the USENET newsgroup rec.motorcycles.harley. It will attempt to lay a foundation for the understanding of Harleys, their riders and their Internet watering hole, the R.M.H Virtual Bar & Grill.
Many of the sections are copies of posts made by the members of r.m.h. This wealth of hands-on experience is not currently available via other media.
In the interest of readability I have decided to use the masculine pronoun "his" instead of the politically correct "his or her's" This should not be interpreted to mean that Harleys are solely a male endeavor. Some of our better mechanics/riders/attitude adjusters are of the female persuasion. Anyway, what do you expect in a Harley newsgroup?
This FAQ spiritually belongs to the regulars at the VB&G. I will not allow it to be reprinted or otherwise distributed without the general consensus of the group rec.motorcycles.harley, nor will I do so. It belongs to them. For purposes of control I retain all legal rights to this document.
This is written entirely in the minimal digest format. You can skip from one section to the next by pressing ^G in many newsreaders, such as rn, trn and strn.
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Subject 2. Table of Contents
General
1. Purpose
2. Table of Contents
3. Welcome to the R.M.H Bar & Grill
4. Introductions
5. How to get flamed
6. Assholes(tm)
7. Advertising Guidelines
8. Brief netiquette guide
Philosophical
9. Bikers
10. Wrenching
11. Clubs
Technical
12. Dyna Frame
13. Rake and Trail
14. Cam Specifications Evo
15. Cam Specifications Shovelhead
16. Ignition Basics
17. Suggested Carburetors
18. Pipes
Cross-over Tube
Porker Pipes and Drags
Recommendations
19. Hop-up Suggestions BT
Wake Up Call
Breathed On
Head Job
Asphalt Ripper
20. Hop-up Suggestions 883
21. Shovel Heads
22. Shocks
23. Packin' (tools)
24. Counter Steering and Eyeball Riding
Miscellany
25. Your First Harley
26. Buying New
27. Used Bike Pricing
28. Mail Order Houses
29. Suggested Books and Magazines
30. Rentals
31. Insurance
32. Safety
33. Friendlies
34. States without Helmet Laws
35. Biking in Europe
Harley .net resources
36. Sample VB&G Post
37. Harley Digest
38. WWW Pages
39. FTP sites
Etcetera
40. Glossary
41. Attributions
42. Planned Enhancements
43. Disclaimer
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Subject 3. Welcome to the R.M.H Bar & Grill General
You have stumbled into the first "biker bar in cyberspace. A place to do a
little bench racein, swap lies and bust ass." Grab a bar stool, pop open a beer and meet some of the good people here.
If you are a person of delicate sensibilities you should probably find another bar. There will be plenty of cussin, some fights, allusions to drug abuse (or use depending on your perspective) and other criminal activities. This is a Biker Bar.
You do not have to be a Harley enthusiast or Biker to enter. An *appreciation* for the machines and life-styles is recommended however.
"R.M.H. is just like your average biker bar. Those of us who have been sitting
here for a while have gotten into it with each other on different topics. We all argue back and forth and call each other names."
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Subject 4. Introductions General
"We don't hate you, we just don't like you yet."
If you are new to the group you might post an introduction describing yourself, your motorcycle, how you "sold your mother-in-laws car to get your first bike", that sort of thing.
"Remember. It's only a cartoon." - Davey D
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Subject 5. How to get flamed General
Rather than state the obvious I would just advise to lurk for a month or two until the flavor of the r.m.h. Bar & Grill is understood.
As we are all good bikers an attack on a member of r.m.h will cause you to
be stomped by all. Don't storm in tryin to show off your 'tude right away as you’ll only get laughed at and harassed until you split.
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Subject 6. Assholes(tm) General
On this subject John Makel wrote:
"If you had been around long enuff you woulda known that the ASSHOLES as you
know em were people just like anybody else, the main difference was at
the time this group was created we were constantly being bombarded with
people from wreck.moto whose sole desire was to demoralize this
newly started group some years ago. There was much animosity towards
this groups creation at the time, and if you attempted to ask
questions regarding a HD you received a ton of flames for every
sincere response given. That followed into this group when it was born.
At that time there were regulars many of which are still here today-in
fact most are still here who supported this group for discussion solely
on Harleys, they were attacked at various times for their posting to
this group and were at numerous times called assholes, this occurred
on a normal day to day basis. After being called an ASSHOLE by these
geeks and pukes from wreck.moto so many times we ended up saying
that we were indeed ASSHOLES and thus the ASSHOLE(tm). Not everyone
is an ASSHOLE, and every ASSHOLE is in fact not really an asshole,
there is a difference that only by reading does one really understand
what it truly implies-if you are inferring that ASSHOLES' are young
and or naive, or not knowledgeable then you have a wrong opinion of
what they truly are...
Most here who are ASSHOLES have been riding for a great number of years
most of which have been on Harleys, they give sincere help to honest
asked questions, and they also are willing to trimm with the best. They
do not as a rule post remarks to demean anyone unless they or the
group has been slammed 1st! Theres a world of honest and sincere help
that an ASSHOLE can offer, as well as any of them being as cynic or as
crude as need be. They are not newbees or yups or rubs or computer
geeks, they are all sincere about the sport of motorcycling..."
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Subject 7. Advertising Guidelines General
R.M.H welcomes part swapping and other sales by individuals of individual items. This is not a place to set up shop. IOW if you represent a company you are not allowed to post general advertisements here.
Overpriced, zero mile, speculator bike sales will be torched.
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Subject 8. Brief Netiquette Guide General
Writing in all CAPS is considered shouting will get you flamed. _Underscore_ characters before and after a word is preferred. Likewise *asterisks* can be used to represent italics.
When replying to a post you should quote the relevant portion so that everyone knows what the hell you're talking about. AOL'rs may have to type the contextual remarks as the AOL newsreader is particularly stupid.
Remember to respond as if you were sitting across from the person and not an anonymous propeller head a thousand miles away.
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Subject 9. Bikers Philosophical
For those who understand,
NO explanation is needed,
for those who DON'T understand
NO explanation will be given.
...ripped off from Davey D.'s .sig
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Subject 10. Wrenching Philosophical
Penny writes:
"We wrench because we're cheap.
We wrench because we don't want someone else's hands on the bike.
We wrench because we like to fiddle with the guts of the thing in winter.
We wrench because we love smearing grease on things that don't need it.
We wrench because the Motor Company tells us not to."
Davey D adds:
"We wrench because we ain't got no money."
We also want to know how to get 'em started again if they break down in the middle of Nowhere, South Dakota.
Strang writes:
"Get the factory service manual from your local dealer - the best $25 you'll spend on your ride. There's really nothin' you can destroy thru normal everyday type activities. Good luck & happy wrenchin' =:-> "
Oldman1 adds:
"Then get a comfortable stool and sit down with the manual and the bike. Read the descriptions in the book and locate everything on the bike. Start simple. Take something off, then put it back on again. Change the oil. Change the tranny fluid. Take the plugs out and clean them. From here go to harder things. Read the book. Talk to the bike. The bike will tell you what she needs if you listen and learn."
Putt throws in:
"Get the factory parts manual as well. It is invaluable for showing how things come apart and go back together. Having the right part number when you go to the dealer saves a lot of aggravation by avoiding getting the wrong part. There is a reason that some people work the parts counter and not in the shop, not all of them, but enough."
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Subject 11. Clubs Philosophical
On outlaw clubs Putt wrote:
"1%ers don't give, they take. Our sport is only now regaining some of the respect it had before the 60's. Hell, Harley riders used to ride dressers wearing white shirts and ties. The 1%er mentality ruined the goodwill the public had for us. Too many of them based their attitudes on what they saw in the B-movies. I used to be a 1%er, I know what the life is like. I've seen too many clubs that lived to show everyone just how nasty, mean and perverse they could be. More than one rider has been run off the road by a cager who didn't like the 1%er look of the rider. Didn't matter if the rider was a cluber or not, he looked the part. The 1%ers gave us fear instead of respect. Respect breeds goodwill, fear breeds contempt. None of us should ever be happy with the legacy that 1%ers have left our sport.
I have buried too many of my brothers who died in pursuit of the 1% life style. Some of my remaining brothers have "in memory of" lists that cover both arms. I was lucky, I lived through the wars in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, DC, Michigan and Canada. What do I have to show for it? A 24 year old Harley, a dusty retired patch and memories. I wish the 1% life style the speedy death it deserves."
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Subject 12. Dyna Frame Technical
Much has been written about the Dyna frame. It seems that the design
criteria for this was:
a) Lowered Cost
b) Traditional Styling (Bikers complained that the FXR looked like a
Japanese motorcycle)
c) Reduce vibration at speed
All of these criteria were met. Traded away for these goals were frame rigidity, handling and high torque applications. Alarmingly these frames break when used with high power motors. Mitch Herzog reports using a Torsion Bar that locks the transmission to the bottom of the engine cases with good results (or a lack of bad results).
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Subject 13. Rake and Trail Technical
Rake is the arc from straight up and down that the headset tube is angled. One leg of the angle being the vertical plane and the other leg being tube. Therefore increasing the rake will move the front tire farther from the bike. Rake is measured in degrees and is a frame specification.
To visualize trail draw an imaginary line along the path of the headset tube to the ground. Measure from this point to the center of the tire patch. This is trail and is measured in inches.
The amount of rake is significant in determining a motorcycles handling characteristics in that generally the more rake the greater the straight line stability, the smaller the amount of rake the more responsive a bike is.
The greater the trail the more straight line stability as well. This is why the forks on a sportbike appear straight up and down in relation to a cruiser.
Now visualize a shopping cart for a picture of a machine with zero rake. Exciting handling but no straight line stability.
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Subject 14. Cam Specifications - Evo Technical
A few brief descriptions:
Duration - The length of time a valve is kept open.
Overlap - The amount of time both valves are simultaneously open.
Lift - The distance a valve rises.
Bolt-in - A cam that does not require beefing up the valve train. This
is generally considered to be less than .500 lif